As a child, elementary school provided me with the building blocks for a great education. There were many things I learned and experienced in elementary school that helped build the skills and habits that I need to have now. Without these skills, I would not have been able to succeed like I have as a student. When our minds are young and eager to take in knowledge, it is crucial to adapt the skills and habits presented in elementary school. There are about four extremely important aspects of my early schooling that I have recognized. These would be first, a fun learning environment. Next would be learning discipline. Third would be organization and structure during the day. Finally, I believe that working with peers in group work is very important.
A fun learning environment for a child is extremely important. If you want a child to be eager to learn, it has to in their interest. It’s not possible for six to ten year olds to focus on work if they are not enjoying what they are doing. That is why elementary schools aim the class work to activities and games. When I was in elementary school I can remember playing games that helped me read, add, or learn simple history dates and names. This is the perfect way to make a child interested in learning, and that is what happened for me. I teach kids of this age group tennis over the summer so I know from the teacher’s side that fun is an enormous part of learning. For example, I never just made the kids practice boring drills over and over again until they learned it. If I did that, they all would have said they wanted to sit out (which sometimes does happen if the class is particularly boring to them). I had to incorporate the skills into games with team names and points and team work. This is the same in school for learning math or spelling. Games that work the mind and are fun are the key for a child to be excited about their education.
Discipline is another vital key for elementary education. At such a young age, once again, it is important for children to be learning skills for the future. Discipline is extremely important at this age because at six years old, they will start to interact with others and be a part of a community. To be a part of a community, there needs to be discipline whether that be a police officer arresting a criminal or a principal scolding a disruptive student. As children get older, they will learn not to become the criminal that never appreciated discipline. Every kid has gotten into trouble at least a couple times while going through elementary school. Even the best kids did something once in a while that deserved punishment. These few encounters made me realize the effect of discipline. The feeling of “getting in trouble” scares kids and makes them find out how punishment feels and to hopefully make them learn their lesson before the punishment gets worse.
Organization is also something that kids are introduced to in elementary school. Structure and organization during the day is something that many children don’t quite understand until they reach school. It is significant in everyday life and therefore is necessary to introduce to children at a young age. Structure during the day is important for a couple different reasons. When you get a job, your day is very structured. You have to learn to adapt to the organization and structure presented in that job. Also, organization is important for a person’s education. Where would I be if I didn’t have organization in my school work and my jobs? I know I wouldn’t be at URI. The structure in school helped me to have organization in my own life; in my studies, my other obligations, and my leisure time.
Finally, I think that group work is something children need to start learning. In elementary school I remember having many activities that involved groups. This works on many important skills that people need in life. First of all, getting along with peers is a very good skill for anyone to have at any age. An example in my life would be study groups. I am able to work with others and better myself because of it. Another skill that is works on is leadership. Some people are born leaders and some are not, but with group exercises in elementary school, everyone is able to better those skills. Instead of being completely passive, children will have had training in having a voice.
Even with just these four skills that were mentioned, elementary school has clearly helped with my education in more than just factual knowledge. I have developed skills in order to continue with my own education. It would be exceptionally difficult to really go anywhere without wanting to learn, without understanding discipline, without structure and organization, and without people skills. Therefore, I believe that my early educational experience was one of the biggest and most significant effects on my education.
A fun learning environment for a child is extremely important. If you want a child to be eager to learn, it has to in their interest. It’s not possible for six to ten year olds to focus on work if they are not enjoying what they are doing. That is why elementary schools aim the class work to activities and games. When I was in elementary school I can remember playing games that helped me read, add, or learn simple history dates and names. This is the perfect way to make a child interested in learning, and that is what happened for me. I teach kids of this age group tennis over the summer so I know from the teacher’s side that fun is an enormous part of learning. For example, I never just made the kids practice boring drills over and over again until they learned it. If I did that, they all would have said they wanted to sit out (which sometimes does happen if the class is particularly boring to them). I had to incorporate the skills into games with team names and points and team work. This is the same in school for learning math or spelling. Games that work the mind and are fun are the key for a child to be excited about their education.
Discipline is another vital key for elementary education. At such a young age, once again, it is important for children to be learning skills for the future. Discipline is extremely important at this age because at six years old, they will start to interact with others and be a part of a community. To be a part of a community, there needs to be discipline whether that be a police officer arresting a criminal or a principal scolding a disruptive student. As children get older, they will learn not to become the criminal that never appreciated discipline. Every kid has gotten into trouble at least a couple times while going through elementary school. Even the best kids did something once in a while that deserved punishment. These few encounters made me realize the effect of discipline. The feeling of “getting in trouble” scares kids and makes them find out how punishment feels and to hopefully make them learn their lesson before the punishment gets worse.
Organization is also something that kids are introduced to in elementary school. Structure and organization during the day is something that many children don’t quite understand until they reach school. It is significant in everyday life and therefore is necessary to introduce to children at a young age. Structure during the day is important for a couple different reasons. When you get a job, your day is very structured. You have to learn to adapt to the organization and structure presented in that job. Also, organization is important for a person’s education. Where would I be if I didn’t have organization in my school work and my jobs? I know I wouldn’t be at URI. The structure in school helped me to have organization in my own life; in my studies, my other obligations, and my leisure time.
Finally, I think that group work is something children need to start learning. In elementary school I remember having many activities that involved groups. This works on many important skills that people need in life. First of all, getting along with peers is a very good skill for anyone to have at any age. An example in my life would be study groups. I am able to work with others and better myself because of it. Another skill that is works on is leadership. Some people are born leaders and some are not, but with group exercises in elementary school, everyone is able to better those skills. Instead of being completely passive, children will have had training in having a voice.
Even with just these four skills that were mentioned, elementary school has clearly helped with my education in more than just factual knowledge. I have developed skills in order to continue with my own education. It would be exceptionally difficult to really go anywhere without wanting to learn, without understanding discipline, without structure and organization, and without people skills. Therefore, I believe that my early educational experience was one of the biggest and most significant effects on my education.